Mechanisms protect airborne green microalgae during long distance dispersal

Viable microalgae occur in the air. Whether they can survive the stresses such as UV, desiccation and freezing temperatures at high altitudes during long distance dispersal is rarely studied. If yes, what mechanisms confer the tolerance? Four freshwater airborne green microalgae were isolated from Dongsha Atoll in the South China Sea, classified as Scenedesmus sp. DSA1, Coelastrella sp. DSA2, Coelastrella sp. DSA3 and Desmodesmus sp. DSA6 based on their morphologies and ITS sequences. Their survival rates under UV stress were tightly correlated with their cell wall thickness. All the four airborne green microalgae survived the air-dry stress on benchtop followed by − 20 °C freeze–desiccation stress for 4 weeks, but not the two waterborne green microalgae Desmodesmus sp. F5 and Neodesmus sp. UTEX 2219-4 used as controls. Three of the four airborne microalgae survived the lyophilization treatment, excluding Desmodesmus sp. DSA6 and the two waterborne microalgae. The four airborne microalgae produced carotenoids under prolonged stress conditions, which might help detoxify the reactive oxygen species generated under environmental stresses and shield from the high-light stress in the air. Characterization of these airborne microalgae may help answer how the descendants of green algae survived on the land about 450 MYA.